The Lion and the Snake
by h0rcruxxx
Summary: Yule Ball / Althea x Snape one shot. Beauty and the Beast inspired!


**A/N: Okay, I really wanted this to be in my chapter story but I decided to do it as a one shot instead. Oh well. I pictured the dance scene like Beauty and the Beast (having just watched that) and really those titles suit Althea and Severus well. This is an OC x Snape story, if you don't like that...I'm sorry. This isn't for you! Also, this most certainly does NOT follow the books or movies. As always...I don't own Harry Potter & Cilwenu Snape is Kagschann's! **

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><p>The campus of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was blanketed in a thick layer of snow as far as the eye could see. Two students were laid back against the wall of an empty corridor in their thick winter robes. One sported a red and gold scarf and the other a green and silver- yet they were getting along quiet nicely. Althea and Cilwenu had been best friends despite their "house" differences.<p>

"Have you decided yet?" Cilwenu flipped the pages in her Charms book but it was obvious that she wasn't actually reading any of the text.

"Andrew Owens, he seems like a nice guy. Ravenclaw, so he must have some intelligence...unlike a healthy number of the boys we surround ourselves with." Althea shrugged off her comment like it was no big deal. Andrew was a seventh year like Cilwenu and Althea. He stood at six foot with dark hair and black rimmed glasses. He wasn't Althea's type, but he was charming and fancied her.

"Seamus will be devastated," Cilwenu giggled as she finally gave up on her faux reading and slammed the book shut while tossing it to the side.

"Oh please- he had his chance to ask me! The Yule Ball is this evening and I haven't heard one word from him. Andrew asked me over a week ago so I had to give him an answer, right?" Althea had to admit that she did feel just a smudge guilty. Seamus Finnigan had been her on and off again boyfriend since the fourth year- but it was never anything serious at all and mostly _off_ than _on_. Althea just didn't have the power to juggle a relationship and school.

Cilwenu nodded and stood up, brushing the dust from her shirt and smoothing it down. "I'll take your word for it, Althy." She shot a smile to her friend and offered a hand to help her up. Althea graciously took it and tried to stabilize her own smile while pulling herself up.

Althea wasn't entirely sure if Cilwenu was going to attend the ball with Draco or not. She had learned that it was easiest not to bring the subject up. If they were fighting and his name was mentioned it usually resulted in her already fiery attitude flaring up into an all out rage. Althea could normally tell when her friend and her _companion_ were on good terms though and lately it seemed that was the case.

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><p>"Wenny, we need to talk! Now!"<p>

Althea snatched up Cilwenu's hand with so much force she could have easily flung the Slytherin girl across the room with a flick of the wrist.

"Where's Anthony- or Andrew...whatever his bloody name is? What-"

"I don't know or care!" Althea snapped, cutting off her friend. Her blue eyes raged with an angry fire that was completely foreign to her. For the most part she was well-mannered and optimistic so to see the sudden change startled her friend. "Do you see that smug little git?"

Cilwenu let her eyes wander past Althea and into the crowd where she quickly picked out the cause of her friend's anger. Finnigan was standing with a younger Gryffindor student fastened tightly to his arm. The girl's appearance crudely mocked Althea's. She had dirty blonde hair that hanging in frizzed waves and blue eyes that glared at the older Gryffindor with an envious smirk. "Oh my, I'm sorry-"

"I don't even care!" Althea cut her friend off again while throwing her hands into the air dramatically. She probably could have repeated herself ten more times and not convinced herself or anyone else. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes and her bottom lip trembled lightly. "I don't give a bloody hell what that wanker does with that dog of a girl!"

"Well, here comes your date-"

"Bloody hell!"

"Do you plan on letting me finish a sentence tonight?" Cilwenu narrowed her eyes at the blonde who was now frantically shielding herself with a curtain in hopes to hide from the sight of her Ravenclaw date.

"I have to go, Wenny...I'll find you later."

With that Althea disappeared into clusters of elaborately dressed Hogwarts students.

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><p>Althea eyed herself in the mirror of the girl's bathroom. Her eyes had dried up from the short-lived crying spell but a little redness remained. She wiped beneath her cheek and examined her makeup to make sure it was still intact. "Lovely," she stated flatly and most sarcastically.<p>

She exited out of the bathroom and into an empty hall. The music could still be heard radiating through the walls. Althea rolled her eyes and proceeded to walk further away from the melodies. The noise was just mocking her and all she could picture was that sneering face from that snotty girl attached to Seamus.

Althea stopped mid-step and whirled around her heel. She heard something, that she was sure of. "Who's there?" She thrust her wand forward and looked around while backing up. Nothing stirred in the silence of the hallway and right when she thought it was just her imagination she slammed into the wall behind her.

A series of creaking noises pulsed through the wall and at once Althea scattered back now holding her wand up to the wall with a startled gaze. It sounded as if a thousand little clockwork's were turning in the walls as an ornate doorway seemed to appear out of thin air.

Althea stood, bewildered, looking up at the new doorway that had just a second ago not been there at all. She approached it cautiously with her hand outstretched until it rested firmly on the handle. _Brave at heart_ certainly described her at that point as curiosity got the best of her and she found herself pushing the door open. Inside was just as magnificent as the out.

It was a great ballroom with marble floors and champagne walls with a marvelous chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The music of the Yule Ball had been replaced with a slow Classical piece that echoed softly through the empty room. Althea was absolutely in awe- the room looked like something off a muggle movie she had once seen.

The music seemed to sink into her bones as she twirled once causing the pale pink dress to billow out around her. She let out a childish giggle and turned once more before sitting her wand down on the ground carefully.

"May I have this dance?" she asked herself before replying in a higher pitched voice, "of course!" Althea smiled in amusement of herself and danced to the upbeat melody that rang in her ears with an invisible man. She had been so caught up in her own ballroom dancing that she hadn't noticed the soft closing of the door.

"I see...that you have found the room of requirement?" There was an amused tone in the cold drawling voice that abruptly stopped Althea's dancing causing her to nearly stumble to her face in fright.

_Please let it be my imagination- please let it be my imagination. _Althea slowly turned around to face Severus Snape who had his arms folded across his chest and a blank stare in his eye. She hoped that her face wasn't as scarlet as it felt at that moment. "Pr-professor! I'm sorry- I was just wandering and ended up here- I will go back now."

Althea shuffled nervously and and looked for where she had placed her wand. Severus said nothing at all but instead walked up to her with his unmoving expression. He held one hand out beside him and nodded to the Gryffindor student as if signaling for her to take it.

Her heart had never beat so fast. She took his hand and he placed the other on her hip and she placed her's on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke and it was actually rather awkward. He led them in a dance across the marble floor. Althea followed his lead like a shadow and didn't once take her eyes off his expressionless face.

His body was a lot warmer than she had imagined it being and with each glide across the floor she felt the space between them close until her body was pressed next to his and her hand was tightening on his shoulder. She wondered briefly if he could feel her heartbeat pounding against his chest because it felt to her like it was going to break right through her ribcage.

When the song came to an end he swiftly stopped- like he had been doing this all his life. His hand was still clamped gently around hers and Althea tried desperately to control the sweat that was pouring from her palm. They lingered in the position for a moment until Althea finally tore her gaze away and backed up cradling her hand like it now had some magical healing powers.

"You should return to the ball. They will be worried."

Althea nodded and picked up her wand. She glanced over her shoulder at the professor in dark robes who gestured for her to leave. She obeyed quiet willingly.


End file.
